The Bottom Line
You’ve made a smart choice to partner with ScanSTAT for Release of Information (ROI) and we appreciate the opportunity to earn your trust each day! Now that you’re a ScanSTAT client, there is no need for your team to be exposed to aggressive third-party requestors and lawyers seeking records. One of the things we hear from our clients is that they love the reduction in call volumes from third party requestors. Some say it’s the best part of their relationship with us. In this FAQ, we’ll share with you how we guarantee ScanSTAT will drastically decrease the number of calls coming into your office from third-party requestors! Keep reading to learn about “Defer to ScanSTAT.”
Why “Defer to ScanSTAT?”
“Defer to ScanSTAT” is how we encourage our clients to transfer and/or direct all calls from third party requestors regarding our workflows, invoices or compliance for records releases.
1. We WILL reduce the number of calls into your organization.
First, ScanSTAT can give a complete and accurate answer to the caller the first time. ScanSTAT can see deeper into the status than the brief character-limited notation we enter into the EHR. Perhaps the records have been researched, pulled and assembled and the only thing outstanding is the payment. Our internal systems show us this detail. Or perhaps the release is not compliant with HIPAA regulations. ScanSTAT will never release records if the release form is not complete or HIPAA compliant.
When you implement a “Defer to ScanSTAT” policy it will be a satisfying and productive experience for your patients and requestors. When you send callers to ScanSTAT you are decreasing time and effort a caller will spend to get what he needs. Your caller will get questions answered more completely and much more quickly when you forward them to ScanSTAT rather than if you try to assist.
A caller you point to ScanSTAT will never have to navigate a phone tree system because a live person always answers our office phones between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Central Time. ScanSTAT has many capable people in our Contact Center – 25% of which are bi-lingual. All are ready and able to help your patients and requesters alike.
The ScanSTAT Contact Center is more than just a Call Center. These are the same helpful folks who also answer patient and third-party requestor email inquiries within two hours. But helpful as they are, our Contact Center associates also get hungry! So we turn off our phones from Noon to 1:00 Central Time. This is their designated time for lunch and it’s also the time for team meetings or additional training when required. All incoming emails and voicemails to ScanSTAT Contact Center are returned within two hours of receipt.
The second way that ScanSTAT will decrease the number of calls coming into your office is through relationships we already have in place with numerous third-party requestors and payers. ScanSTAT already has special distribution agreements and special billing agreements in place to assist many of these types of organizations.
You know these folks. They are the very aggressive callers who call and call and call and call and call — well, you know! It’s our job to help you STOP these calls. We are often able to work with these organizations to distribute their records faster and cheaper—all while your phones stop ringing. It’s a win-win for everyone when this happens! ScanSTAT invites you to get out of the middle and let it happen!
Please keep in mind, ScanSTAT is able to offer our ROI service to your organization at little to no cost because we charge third party requestors. When your office handles requests, this can potentially change the dynamic of how we are paid. ScanSTAT serves clients from nearly every state. We are up to date on every fee structure, every regulation and every ratio for every state in the country. ScanSTAT has staff who have a dedicated focus on state laws, HIPAA and other healthcare regulations that impact our ROI business. We appreciate you allowing us to do this for you.
2. ScanSTAT assumes your risk and liability.
Perhaps the most compelling reason for a “Defer to ScanSTAT” policy is to transfer risk and liability away from your organization. As your Business Associate, ScanSTAT assumes all risk and liability associated with the medical records we release on behalf of your organization. However, if you re-insert yourself into the HIPAA-compliant ScanSTAT workflow for medical records release, the liability may transfer back to your organization.
For example, ScanSTAT released a compliant set of records, but the recipient called back to the provider to complain that the EKGs were not included. Rather than “Defer to ScanSTAT,” the records clerk at the provider’s office simply sent the EKGs, which were not part of the original release request. In an effort to be helpful, the records clerk issued protected health information (PHI) that the patient did not authorize. In this instance, the liability transferred back to the provider, so the organization is accountable for this unauthorized disclosure and possible breach of PHI.
Top client responses when asked, “What do you like best about ‘Defer to ScanSTAT’?”
- Transferred HIPAA risk and liability to ScanSTAT
- Increased patient satisfaction
- Decreased patients’ and requestors’ time, effort and energy to get a complete answer
- ScanSTAT can see “deeper” into the status than what appears in the EHR
- The ScanSTAT Contact Center includes bi-lingual staff
- A live person always answers the ScanSTAT main phone line. ScanSTAT doesn’t have a phone tree
- Emails and voicemails are returned by the ScanSTAT Contact Center within two hours
How do you “Defer to ScanSTAT?”
We ask that you become comfortable with the phrase, “Please call ScanSTAT.” When your phone rings and you speak with a third party requestor who’s asking for a records status update or other information regarding a request, simply “Defer to ScanSTAT.”By educating your requestors of your relationship with ScanSTAT, providing them with our phone number or email address for status updates and reiterating their need to contact us, you’ll dramatically reduce your call volumes. Keep in mind, these callers are aggressive and are trained to get as much information, at the lowest price from you as possible.
What can you do in this situation?
If a requestor is using tactics like this, we encourage you to get ScanSTAT involved immediately! Use your phone system technology. Let the requestor know you’ll call ScanSTAT right at that moment and we can be conferenced in to handle the situation for you. ScanSTAT can reiterate the reasons as to why the records are not yet released or solve any issues in communication or workflow process right in that moment. Better service for you, better service for the requestor and better for ScanSTAT.